Live
by Emtheunicorn
Summary: A day in the life of Kensi and Deeks. What starts out as an ordinary day soon changes thanks to the unpredictability of their jobs. Super fluffy. Super angsty. Definite Densi. My response to the Densi Prompts thing on Tumblr.


So this is my contribution to round 1 of the Densi prompts thing that's happening on Tumblr. It's a oneshot, so no, I'm not continuing it. I'm not sure who sent me the prompt (let me know if it was you) but whoever you are, thank you. I squealed with excitement when I got my prompt. Why? Because it is so typically me and is exactly the sort of thing I love to write. That's why. I've affectionately started referring to this story as my rollercoaster/trainwreck.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS:LA or any of the characters (and with good reason, given the way I treat them).

Now, this is a general warning to all the people who complained about the way I wrote one of my previous stories, Coming Home. Look at the prompt below and make a deduction (I'm not going to spoil the ending by saying what happens). Don't like this sort of thing? Don't read it.

Prompt: Their last moment together.

Now, to everyone else reading, I would love to hear what you think about this. And I hope you enjoy it. I certainly enjoyed writing it.

* * *

**Live**

It started off like any other Monday. Kensi awoke with a groan to a loud buzzing sound, blindly reaching around for the snooze button on the alarm clock and accidently smacking her partner in the face.

"Kens, I know you struggle to keep your hands off me, but is it necessary to assault me this early in the morning?" Deeks mock complained. His voice was low and gravelly as his body slowly woke up.

"Well maybe if you hadn't bought such an annoying alarm clock I wouldn't have to," Kensi argued stubbornly.

"Well maybe if you hadn't broken the last one..." Deeks retorted.

Kensi huffed, knowing that there would be no winner in this argument. She was cut off as her partner rolled over and kissed her, his bare torso pressing up against hers.

When he broke away, he took a moment to study her, smiling, as he did every day, at the knowledge that this was a sight he got to wake up to every morning. Resting his weight on his elbows, he reached out to gently brush a piece of hair from her face. A light blush graced her cheeks, but she didn't pull away. He considered himself extremely lucky that she allowed him to see her like this. He would never get over the fact that she was his.

"Morning Fern," he said softly, his face still decorated with a smile.

Just as Kensi was about to reply, she was cut off by the annoying buzzing sound of the alarm clock again.

"Go on, Beach Boy," she urged. "The waves are calling."

Deeks reluctantly rolled off her, turning off the alarm as he did before Kensi could get violent again. As he climbed out of bed, he saw her roll back over, burying her head in the pillow. A soft, content whimper left her lips and he knew she would be back asleep before long. If Kensi had one talent, it would have to be falling asleep in Deeks' – although some would argue it was now also belonged to her – bed. Perhaps it was the way the mattress adjusted to accommodate her body, letting her sink into its comforting warmth, or maybe it was the fact that the majority of her time in there was spent in Deeks' arms. One thing was for sure, Kensi could count on getting a damn good sleep in that bed, even if she did get woken at the crack of dawn.

Kensi didn't mind being woken early, it wasn't so bad on mornings like this when the air was warm and the sun was beginning to rise. She knew Deeks was an early riser and she knew he loved to surf. It was all part of the deal. She didn't mind having her sleep interrupted by an annoying alarm clock, not when there were so many positives to outweigh the negatives.

Having quietly changed into his wetsuit, Deeks walked over to his sleeping girlfriend. He leaned over and gently kissed her goodbye.

"Love you. Sleep tight, Princess."

"Love you too," he heard her murmur back, nearly asleep.

He grinned. No matter how many times he heard her say those words, he'd never get rid of the soaring feeling he felt when hearing them. And no matter how many times he said those words to her, it would never be enough.

...

Kensi groaned again as she was awoken by the alarm for the second time that day. Knowing that this alarm was for her, she dragged herself out of bed into the bathroom and proceeded to get ready for the day.

When she was dressed and holding a fresh cup of coffee, she made her way out to the small balcony that led off Deeks' – their – bedroom. It was a habit she had adopted on the mornings she slept in, one which she had come to enjoy.

From the balcony, she could see across to the beach where Deeks would often surf. Even from this distance, she could pick which one of the tiny figures in the water was him. She just knew.

Deeks didn't surf every day, sometimes he would elect to stay in bed with Kensi. Sometimes she would go to the beach with him, and sometimes, on days like this, he would go and she would stay. It was a part of her – their – routine now.

...

When Deeks returned home, after walking back from the beach and stowing his surfboard, he deposited a paper bag of donuts from their favourite bakery down on the bench. When it was her turn to buy breakfast, she would always buy an extra cronut for him.

Kensi pressed a cup of coffee into his hand in exchange, made just how he liked it, and reminded him they were leaving in half an hour. Deeks brushed off her warning, telling her, as he always did, that he would be ready on time. They were always at least ten minutes late.

Waiting until she had gone back to the bedroom to finish getting ready, Deeks walked over to the cupboard and pulled out a box of baking soda. Opening it, he grabbed the smaller velvet box that sat inside and opened it. He was pretty proud of his hiding place. He knew that the chances of Kensi cooking anything, let alone anything that required baking soda, were slim, and that's why he had decided it was the perfect place to hide the ring. He stared down at the diamond, wishing it could answer all his questions.

Is today the day?

Hearing Kensi coming, he hastily shoved the ring back into its hiding place and closed the cupboard door.

"Hurry up, Deeks," she chastitised as she bustled into the kitchen. "We're going to be late."

...

They were indeed late. When they walked into the Bullpen half an hour late, they were greeted by the usual quips and jokes from their co-workers. Deeks just let them go in one ear and out the other, having been subjected to this for years, but Kensi wasn't so used to being chastitised for her lateness.

As Kensi powered through her paperwork, keen to get it out of the way, she couldn't help noticing that she was once again subject to Deeks' gaze, the same adoring stare that was thrown her way whenever he thought she wasn't looking, as if he still couldn't believe that he was lucky enough to end up with her. She narrowed her eyes at him. They'd agreed that they'd keep their relationship separate from work. She grabbed a scrunched up piece of paper from her desk and lobbed it across the room at him, hitting her target right in the forehead. It bounced off and landed on the floor. Despite the fact that they had finally matured enough to admit their feelings for each other, they still behaved like children.

"Deeks don't litter," Sam warned, never looking up from the file in front of him.

"But," Deeks protested, wondering why it was that he always seemed to get the blame, even when it wasn't his fault.

Kensi just smirked at him before going back to her paperwork. He couldn't help but smile, silently chuckling to himself. Sometimes her actions said more than words did, even if said actions had to be decoded and analysed. Deciding that two could play her game of strange communication, he picked up the crumpled piece of paper and grabbed a pen.

When he was done, he scrunched the paper back up and tossed it across to Kensi. It bounced on the desk once before hitting her gently on the arm. Kensi looked up at Deeks. He nodded, encouraging her to open the note. She straightened out the paper, smiling as she read the words he'd written.

_Ice cream and Top Model tonight?_

She smiled, nodding back at him. He knew her too well.

A minute later, as Deeks was actually working on his report for the first time all morning, he felt something hit his head. He looked up to see the piece of paper sitting there again. He unscrunched it and saw the additional words that Kensi had written below his message.

_Throw in some beer and burgers and you're on.  
After that, I've got a surprise for you ;)_

Deeks looked up to see Kensi was still sitting at her desk , her head down, and acting as if she had been diligently working all morning and was not responsible for this school-ish note passing game, though there was still a hint of a smirk on her face. Whatever this surprise was, Deeks had a feeling he would enjoy it. A lot.

He was just about to reply to her message when he was interrupted.

"Is there something you'd like to share with us, Mr Deeks?" Hetty asked as she walked into the room. She knew. How was it she always knew? Deeks had the feeling that she was going to ask to see the note and confiscate it, or ask him to read it out loud in front of everyone. Fortunately she did no such thing.

"Nope, just working on my case report," Deeks replied with his signature grin, the one that could get him out of almost any sort of trouble.

"See that you do, Mr Deeks," Hetty answered, sending a stern look his way.

...

It was just nearing lunch when they heard the familiar sound of Eric's whistle. They had a case.

After being briefed on the case – a hostage situation, believed to be occurring in an abandoned warehouse – they made their way back downstairs. As they climbed into Kensi's car, Kensi grumbled incessantly to Deeks about their missed lunch break. Knowing that a hungry Kensi was not a happy Kensi, he reached underneath the seat to grab a Twinkie from his secret hiding spot in the lining of the seat. Even though it was her car, he still had his hiding spots, knowing that he needed emergency junk food stashes for times like this. Kensi devoured the treat eagerly and Deeks was rewarded with a happy, non-complaining Kensi. It was a win-win situation.

When they arrived at the warehouse, they grabbed their bullet proof vests from the back of the car and put them on. It was just one of those cases. Having arrived separately, Sam and Callen made their way over to the younger agents and explained the plan. Kensi and Deeks nodded and they all moved to get into position to storm the warehouse.

"Hey Kens," Deeks said, stopping her by grabbing her arm just as she was about to leave. "Just be careful in there, okay?"

She nodded. This was the serious moment that they would often have before some of the more dangerous cases.

"You too," she replied, looking into his eyes. "Remember your promise to me."

"Always," he said honestly. "I promise."

He had promised her many things over the years - from promising to watch scary movies with her, and vowing to take care of her when she was sick, to promising he would still be there with her when she celebrated her 80th birthday, and beyond - and he intended to keep every one of those promises. But he knew that the particular promise she was referring to was the one he had made a few years ago, when he promised to not get himself killed. He intended to keep that promise too.

Kensi nodded again before moving off into position and waiting for Callen's signal. On his word, they all moved, kicking in the doors to the building from their respective sides. Kensi went first, as usual, with Deeks following her down the wide hallway. He went left and she went right, methodically checking the rooms for the suspects or their hostages. They met again in the hallway, having found nothing in the first two rooms. When they reached the next doors, they both took the same sides and repeated the process.

There was nothing of interest in Kensi's room, although it appeared Deeks hadn't suffered the same fate, as the sound of gunshots rang out from his room. Kensi immediately ran into the room to back her partner up, her gun out and ready and her heart in her throat. She made it just in time to see him fall to the ground.

That was all it took: a lucky shot, straight through his head. There was nothing lucky about her shots as she shot the man with surgical precision twice in the chest, and once in the head, just for good measure. An eye for an eye, or so the saying goes. But even the sight of the offender's lifeless body dropping to the ground was not enough to ease her distress.

She ran over to Deeks and grabbed his shoulders, feeling a sob building up in her throat as her eyes took in the hole in his skull and the growing puddle of blood under his head. Her mind raced, all of her training and knowledge of first aid gone. But deep down she knew there was nothing she could do with a wound like this. So she did the only thing she could think of. She begged.

"Deeks."

"Come on, Deeks."

"Deeks, please."

"Deeks, don't do this."

"Marty."

"You promised."

But her pleas fell on deaf ears. Her words grew increasingly desperate by the minute, but they were still no use. It was too little, too late.

His glazed eyes had none of their usual sparkle, bringing none of the hope and joy she had come to seek from them. She fell down on top of his body, her fingers clutching at his shirt, sobbing. She let her tears fall upon his chest, as if that action alone could change the past. Trapped in a bubble of grief, she blocked out the world. She barely heard it as Callen yelled "bomb!" over the coms. But she still had enough presence to think about her partner.

Kensi wrapped her arms around his chest and attempted to stand while supporting his weight. She couldn't leave him. She managed to pull him a few steps closer to the door, feeling guilt eat at her at the way his legs were being dragged along the ground so carelessly, before she collapsed on the ground with Deeks landing on top of her. Though she was strong, her body was unable to continue like this. She was still in a state of shock.

That was when she heard it, the voice inside her head that sounded as clear as if it was coming from right next to her. The voice that sounded exactly like her partner's.

"_Get up,"_ it said. _"Go."_

But Kensi still didn't move. She couldn't. She wasn't going to leave him there. She heard footsteps, but didn't even bother to look up to see who it was; she didn't care whether it was friend or foe.

"Kensi!" she heard Sam yell from outside the room.

Kensi knew she had to respond. Her answering shout was both a request and a reply, and much quieter than Sam's.

"Sam."

Sam and Callen burst into the room and immediately jumped into action. The clock was ticking and it was about to go boom. Callen grabbed Kensi's arm – they had to move fast – but she still couldn't move. Sam grabbed Deeks' limp body and lifted it over his shoulder in a fireman's lift, spending no time checking the condition of said body. Then she heard it again, that voice.

"_Run." _

Even though he was no longer here, he still had her back. He was still saving her life. While she wouldn't normally blindly follow orders, there was something inside her that did as the voice said. She didn't think, she just stood and ran, following Sam out into the sunshine.

They made it to safety just in time, but none of them were watching as the building exploded. They were all focused on Deeks. Sam was crouched down next to him, trying to revive him, whilst Callen was on the phone to Eric, requesting an ambulance. Meanwhile, Kensi stood motionless, watching the scene unfold before her.

"It's too late," she announced quietly. Saying it out loud made it seem so final. But there was no use denying it now. He was gone.

Sam stood wordlessly as Kensi fell to the ground again, unable to hold back a strangled sob. Her words confirmed what she knew in her heart. She resumed her place hovering over Deeks' body as she silently cried for him. Sam and Callen allowed her to grieve in private, as they knew she would want to, turning their backs as they attempted to deal with their own anguish. Even when her tears had dried up, Kensi still lay over her partner, protecting him, doing in death what she could not do for him in life.

"Kensi, we have to go," she heard Callen say as he gently placed his hand on her shoulder. The body had to be moved and Hetty wanted to get Kensi back to ops. There was no sense in mourning in the streets.

Kensi ignored his words, remaining hunched possessively over Deeks. Her fingers still clutched at his chest, as if there was something inside him that she could reach for to bring him back. She couldn't move. She couldn't leave. She didn't know how. That was when she heard the voice again, the one that sounded exactly like her partner's.

"_Stand up." _

She didn't recall consciously making the decision, but she stood.

"_Dry your eyes." _

She reached up to wipe the tears from her face before she realised was she was doing.

"_Stand tall." _

Kensi found herself squaring her shoulders and lifting her head in determination.

Then she heard his voice again.

"_One last request, one more thing for me. Carry on, Fern. Live."_


End file.
